The group met just down the road from where we are today, at Tomorrow’s Warriors, a youth jazz programme run by bassist and all-around British jazz icon Gary Crosby. Even when the blistering free-jazz solos of second track ‘Why You Mad?’ are at their peak the band never misses a beat. Find articles, news, musician pages, and more! The Black Keys, The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA. © LOUD AND QUIET 2020. “The best music we make is when we’re in a good place.”. That was exciting for us,” Femi says. His music has been performed internationally by leading ensembles including the LSO, CBSO, China National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Britten Sinfonia, Warsaw Chamber Opera and BCMG. Elbow, Manchester, UK. “Being with these guys, it’s given [me] a chance to be real and comfortable,” says TJ.  “When you’re with your friends you’re comfortable, and there’s no façade that you’ve got to put on.” He admits that while the group have always been close, Ezra Collective hasn’t always been as laidback a project as it is today. Femi picks their headline show at Ronnie Scott’s; TJ their show at Islington Assembly Hall. Ezra Collective Tickets Meet Ezra Collective, London's hottest jazz act. Roundhouse in London. This event is now in the past - Ezra Collective at The Hare And Hounds on Monday, 12 Nov 2018 at 7:30 PM. And the band least restrained by the genre’s sometimes elitist rules, Words by Mike Vinti Photos by Gabriel Green. Ezra Collective have announced a UK tour for late November. Tickets for the shows go on sale at 10am on Thu 18 Apr. Blasted at full volume through studio-quality speakers, the record’s energy is undeniable, and its hidden complexities fill the room, demanding constant attention. “There was one club that played it as their New Year’s Eve track going from 2017 into 2018, they played it at midnight,” Femi says, to his bandmates as much as to me. Their approach is one that seeks to reform the jazz establishment, not reject it. He’s been awake since 4AM, not that he really went to sleep before then. It may have been written decades ago in Nigeria, but played by these two groups together it’s the sound of years spent practising at Tomorrow’s Warriors and evenings dedicated to blowing the roof off Steam Down. Grade 2 Listed community music venue in Kings Heath, Birmingham. ... Ezra-Nehemiah and the Dead Sea Scrolls. One of the hottest groups on the resurgent London jazz scene, Ezra Collective is pushing the boundaries of music to create an exciting new take on this classic genre. We were a little bit whacked already. Region North West Website: Follow Thirty Pound Gentleman on social media. There’s little doubt that Ezra Collective is the prime example of this. So, it started from there. “A lot of musicians will tell you that when they’re in a sad place it helps them make music, but for us, it’s the opposite,” says Joe. Birmingham has opened up to me in an entirely new way since having my daughter Ezra Joy. “That’s where my rebellion came from. Go to any of the group’s shows and the number of young people will usually far outweigh the older, more purist crowd that you’ll find in any of the city’s jazz clubs. At one point I look across from me and realise that Joe has been covertly rolling a joint under the table. “For me it’s the album cover – that moment,” Joe says, alluding to the photo that adorns the front of ‘You Can’t Steal My Joy’. “Early on, someone told me you’ve got to be the most ambitious person in the room,” TJ says thoughtfully. “I played the drums with them!” he exclaims. Take that closing cover of ‘Shakara’, for example; a collaboration with fellow Londoners KOKOROKO. All visuals are tributes only. All rights reserved. “Every time we roll anywhere, even when we’re not playing, just walking down the street as a team, it feels so sick.”. Having initially come together for a competition to play at Ronnie Scott’s, the band became firm friends, and after a few line-up alterations they haven’t looked back since. However, Ezra Collective would probably be in equally high spirits had no one played the single. “So, I get a message from our manager, Amy, like, ‘you’re not gonna believe this’,” Femi starts, a huge grin forming on the faces of both Kolesoso brothers. Click the play button to listen to this episode of Mondo Jazz. “In the early days we tried other things, but they didn’t feel good. Right now, the group have plenty of cause for celebration. Dylan Jones, the group’s trumpet player, will join them later for our photoshoot. Fan favourite tracks like ‘Mace Windu Riddim’ or ‘Pure Shade’ fuse intricate playing with an energy that’s instantly recognisable to anyone who’s ever stepped foot in a nightclub. Feeling that they have their criticisms of conservatoire education and the Cautious Scholar: the Birmingham Qur'an combing their.! Singer songwriter George Ezra of Light’ jazz track jazz act the strength of their at. Femi highlights tell you a lot about Ezra Collective Def jumped up that! 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